A ■/ 1  <  T'TI 


Issued  December  i 


U.S.  DEPARTMENT  OF  AGRICULTURE, 

Bl  Kl   M    OF  P]   WI'  [NDl  STRY— Circular  No.  41. 
B.  T.  GALLOWAY,  Chiei  of  Bureau. 


tiii:  south  African  put:  calabash. 


DAVID  FAIKCIIILI).  Agricultural  Explorer, 


( i .  N .  COLLINS,  Assistant  Bota n i st. 


WASHINGTON  :  GOVERNMENT   PRINTING  OFFICE  i   1SO» 

DOCUMENTS  OEPT 

1 

^Al^ 

•   DEPOSITORY 

BUREAU  OF  PLANT  INDUSTRY. 


Chief  of  Bureau,  Beverly  T.  Galloway. 
Assistant  Chief  of  Bureau,  Albert  F.  Woods. 
Editor,  J.  E.  Rockwell. 
Chief  Clerk,  James  E.  Jones. 
[Clr.  41] 

2 


B.  P.  T.— 511. 


THE  SOUTH  AFRICAN'  PIPE  CALABASH. 


INTRODUCTION. 

The  increasing  popularity  of  calabash  pipes  made  from  the  fruits 
of  a  South  African  calabash,  or  gourd,  has  aroused  a  widespread 
interest  in  the  growing  of  this  vine.  Applications  for  seed  at  the 
Department  of  Agriculture  arc  increasing  in  number,  and  requests 
for  information  regarding  cultural  methods  and  the  making  of  the 
pipes  have  become  so  numerous  that  a  short  publication  on  the 
subject  seems  desirable,  as  well  as  a  word  of  caution  to  those  who 
hope  to  make  the  commercial  production  of  these  gourds  a  profitable 
occupat  ion. 

Calabash  pipes  made  from  imported  South  African  gourds  have 
been  the  fashion  in  England  for  some  time  and  are  now  coming  into 
vogue  in  America.  These  pipe-  are  formed  from  the  crooked  necks 
of  a  large  gourd  (Lagenaria  vulgaris)  belonging  to  the  well-known 
•.Toil])  of  plants  which  includes  the  cucumber,  the  melons,  and  the 
squashes.  (PI.  I.  fig.  1.)  Pipes  made  from  the  imported  gourds  are 
expensive,  American  dealers  usually  charging  *s  and  even  812  apiece 
for  them.  They  are  the  lightest  pipes  made  for  their  size,  are  grace- 
ful in  shape,  color  like  meerschaums,  and  are  delightful  smokers. 
Unlike  the  cheap  pipes  which  are  turned  out  by  machinery,  no  two 
of  these  calabash  pipes  are  alike.  In  this  lie-  much  of  their  charm. 
]n  this,  likewise,  lies  their  cost,  for,  unlike  the  great  mass  of  pipes 
turned  out  by  machinery,  the  crook  of  the  calabash  varies  so  that 
each  mouthpiece  musl  be  made  to  lit  it  and  each  lining  of  meer- 
schaum or  plaster  of  Paris  must  he  specially  adapted.  In  our  laud  of 
labor-saving  machinery  ami  expensive  hand  labor  this  i-  what  makes 
the  pipes  costly.  Then,  too,  until  quite  recently  these  calabash 
gourds  which  form  the  bowls  of  the  pipe-  have  only  hern  grown  in 
South  Africa,  from  whence  they  have  been  imported  into  this  coun- 
try The  supply  ha-  been  so  limited  that  they  have  keen  treated  as 
novelties,  and  have  been  offered  to  the  public  at  almost  prohibitive 
pi  i'  i 

Kir.  11  J  3 


4  THE    SOUTH    AFRICAN    PIPE    CALABASH. 

The  price  now  charged  by  dealers  for  the  pipes  is,  however,  no  indi- 
cation of  what  American  manufacturers  would  pay  for  the  gourd  necks 
out  of  which  they  are  made.  Importers  at  present  secure  these  necks 
at  prices  ranging  from  25  cents  to  $2  a  dozen.  When  it  is  realized 
that  only  well-formed  gourds,  free  from  blemishes,  are  marketable  at 
any  price,  it  becomes  apparent  that  the  growing  of  these  gourds  on  a 
commercial  scale  does  not  promise  any  large  profit.  It  is  not,  there- 
fore, with  the  idea  of  presenting  to  the  farmers  of  the  country  a  new 
and  lucrative  industry  that  the  successful  cultivation  of  the  South 
African  pipe  gourd  in  this  country  is  briefly  described  in  these  pages, 
but  rather  to  call  attention  to  an  attractive  vine  which  anyone  can 
grow  in  his  dooryard  and  from  the  gourds  of  which  a  light  and  attract- 
ive pipe  can  be  made,  even  by  those  unaccustomed  to  the  use  of  tools. 

THE  CALABASH  PIPE  GOURD  IN  SOUTH  AFRICA. 

The  American  consul-general  in  Cape  Town,  Mr.  H.  L.  Washington, 
sent  a  few  seeds  of  this  interesting  plant  to  the  Department  of  Agri- 
culture in  December,  1906,  and  with  them  a  short  account  of  the 
origin  and  growth  of  this  peculiar  pipe  industry.  According  to  Mr. 
Washington  the  use  of  the  calabash  as  a  pipe  bowl  was  discovered  by 
the  Boers  and  after  the  Boer  war  the  fashion  of  using  these  pipes 
was  introduced  into  England,  whence  it  has  reached  this  country. 
Knowing  that  so  long  as  seeds  were  not  sent  out  of  the  country 
they  might  hope  to  hold  the  culture  as  a  monopoly,  it  is  reported 
that  the  Boers  tried  to  prevent  the  exportation  of  seed;  but,  as  has 
been  the  history  of  all  such  things,  sooner  or  later  a  few  seeds  were 
exported  and  to-day  there  are  in  America  enough  seeds  to  produce 
all  the  gourds  that  it  would  be  possible  to  market  in  this  country. 

When  the  small  quantity  of  seeds  of  this  gourd,  secured  for  the 
Department,  were  first  sent  out,  it  was  not  thought  that  the  vine 
would  produce  fruit  over  a  wide  range  of  territory,  but  it  has  been 
found  that  from  New  England  to  the  Gulf  and  from  the  Atlantic  to 
the  Pacific  it  yields  the  characteristic  fruits  from  which  the  pipes  are 
made.  The  vines  are  very  luxuriant  growers.  In  the  vicinity  of 
Washington,  D.  C,  four  of  the  broad-leaved  runners  early  in  the 
season  covered  a  6-foot  trellis  25  feet  long  and  climbed  to  a  height  of 
20  feet  over  some  half-grown  cedars  near  by,  where  they  produced 
dozens  of  the  long,  slender-necked  fruits. 

CULTURE  OF  THE  VINE. 

The  vine  forms  a  very  satisfactory  cover  for  unsightly  brush  heaps 
or  fences,  though  its  rather  rank  odor  might  prove  objectionable  if 
used  for  an  arbor  too  near  the  dwelling. 

To  grow  the  vine  for  the  sake  of  its  gourds  is  where  the  chief 
interest  lies,  however,  and  to  do  this  well  it  should  not  be  trained  on 

[Cir.  41] 


Cir.  41    Bureau  of  Plant  Industry,  U    S   Dept.  of  Agriculture. 


PLATE   !. 


Fig.  1.— Calabash  Pipe  Gourds. 

The  gourd  al  the  e  natural  rurve:  the  two  at  the  right  were  artificially  shaped     i  Ibout 

our  sixth  tiutural  siz< 


"5> 

W \^M 

w  'i 

1 

A 

Fig.  2  -Young  Pipe  Gourd  at  the  Stage  to  Begin  the  Shaping   Process,  Just 
After  the  Flower  Has  Withered 
1  'ii.-  i liird  mil ural  - 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 
in  2013 


http://archive.org/details/southaOOunit 


'I'll  I.    SOUTB     \i  lilt  AN     PIPE    CALABASH. 

a  trellis,  but  allowed  to  trail  over  the  ground.  The  reason  for  this 
was  discovered  the  past  summer,  with  plants  growing  on  a  6-foot 
wire  fence.  The  young  fruits  were  repeatedly  tied  up  in  the  • 
to  make  their  necks  crook  properly,  bul  as  they  grev  older  and 
heavier  the}  slipped  their  nooses  oi  cheese  cloth  or  twine  and  before 
the  season  closed  had  straightened  oul  into  long,  clublike  specimens, 
worthless  for  pipe  making.  If  the  fruits  are  allowed  to  lie  on  the 
ground  thej  form  their  crooked  necks  quite  naturally  without  assist- 
ance, and  while  not  all  of  them  by  any  means  make  suitable  necks 
for  pipes  a  good  proportion  do.  It  seems  to  induce  a  more  perfect 
neck  to  ^taiel  the  gourds  up  when  half  grown  so  that  they  rest  on 
their  big  ends.  Unless  care  is  exercised  in  doing  this  the  neck-  snap 
off,  for  thej  are  extremely  brittle  even  when  fully  grown.  It  is  only 
w  hen  almosl  mat  ure  that  they  become  ha  I'd  and  then  they  are  indeed 
almost  unbreakable. 

Much  could  doubtless  be  done  to  perfecl  the  methods  of  culture, 
ing  perhaps  a  greater  p<  ■•  of  properly  crooked  necks  and 

more  perfecl  surfaces.  It  could  not  be  seen  that  inheritance  plays 
an\  material  part  in  this  matter  of  percentage  of  crooks.  If  left  to 
themselves  the  majority  will  crook  their  necks,  but  some  few  will 
remain   quite  straight,   and   this  on  the  same   vine   with   perfectly 

fl  Mined   clonks. 

The  plants  will  thrive  in  a,ny  rich  garden  soil,  the  richer  the  better. 
Beds  of  well-rotted  manure  and  mellow-  loam  should  be  made,  as  for 
cucumbers  or  melons  and  at  the  same  sea  on,  and  the  seeds  planted 
much  as  though  thc\  were  melon  seeds,  about  an  inch  deep.  It  will 
nol  pa\  in  the  latitude  of  Wa  hington,  I).  ('.,  to  plant  first  in  a  hot- 
bed or  cold  frame  and  then  transplant,  but  farther  north  this  may 
lengthen  the  fruiting  season  somewhat,  provided  the  tran  planting 
is  \ci\  carefully  done.  The  growth  of  the  young  plants  when  once 
checked  will  be  slow,  and  seeds  planted  outside  will  produce  plants 
that  will  overtake  them  in  tin  it  growth. 

The  calaba  h  ■_  urd  vine  i  a  good  hearer.  Four  vigorous  vines 
grown  in  Maryland  in  1908  produced  about  75  gourds.  But  it  must, 
nol  be  thought  thai  all  of  the  gourds  will  be  lit  for  pipe  howls,  unless 
each  fruit  is  found  while  the  neck  is  still  pliable  and  so  tied  that  it, 
forms  the  proper  curve.  Among  the  large  leaves  the  finding  of  the 
very  young  gourds  requires  mu<  h  searching  and  at  frequent  intervals. 

'I  he  gourds  should  he  left  as  long  as  possible  on  the  vines  to  thor- 
oughly thicken  their  shells.  If  picked  green  the  shell  will  be  no 
thicker  than  still'  cardboard  and  in  drying  it  is  very  liable  to  crack. 
Frost  w  ill  injure  the  gourds  if  they  are  left  mi  t  he  vines  too  long. 

DISEASES  AND  INSECT  ENEMIES. 

It  will  hi'  an  unpleasant  surprise  w  hen  t  he  crop  has  been  harvested 
to  find  low  few  of  the  gourd  necks  which  in  the  Held  seemed  eligible 

ii     09    —J 


6  THE    SOUTH   AFRICAN    PIPE    CALABASH. 

for  pipes  are  really  perfect  enough  to  use.  The  small  defects  and 
insect  bites  which  scarcely  seemed  to  mar  the  gourds  in  the  field 
appear  as  malformations  which  throw  out  as  culls  a  large  share  of  the 
crop. 

From  the  appearance  of  the  South  African  imported  product  it 
seems  probable  that  a  dry  climate  is  best  for  the  production  of  the 
gourds  and  that  water  is  best  applied  by  irrigation.  In  the  moist 
regions  of  Maryland,  although  perfectly  satisfactory  pipe  gourds  can 
be  grown,  there  seems  to  be  danger  of  the  necks  becoming  infected 
with  a  pink  mold  (doubtless  a  Fusarium)  that  often  quite  ruins  them. 
Especially  liable  to  this  are  the  specimens  lying  on  the  ground,  and 
this  was  one  of  our  reasons  for  standing  the  gourds  on  end  or  for 
placing  a  board  under  the  choicest  specimens.  Any  mechanical  or 
insect  injury  to  the  neck  or  upper  third  of  the  young  gourd  may  scar 
it  so  as  to  make  it  unfit  for  a  first-class  pipe. 

There  is  a  snout  beetle  in  our  gardens  which  persisted  in  biting  the 
necks  of  the  gourds  shortly  after  the  flowers  had  set,  and  in  every 
case  these  bites  resulted  in  scars  which  were  permanent.  To  keep 
the  insects  from  biting  the  gourds,  some  were  covered  with  cheese 
cloth  and  others  with  large  paper  bags  with  the  mouths  folded 
closely  about  the  stem.  The  paper  bags  proved  better,  especially  if 
placed  so  that  the  water  could  drain  out  of  them.  In  some  instances 
after  a  rain  many  of  the  bags  were  found  full  of  water  and  the  gourds 
covered  with  molds. 

THE  ARTIFICIAL  SHAPING  OF  THE  GOURDS. 

It  was  discovered  that  with  a  little  care  and  patience  it  was  possible 
to  cause  these  gourd  necks  to  grow  into  any  desired  shape.  To  do 
this,  it  is  necessary  to  provide  half-inch  boards  0  by  8  inches  in  size, 
riddled  with  quarter-inch  holes  as  close  togel  her  as  they  can  be  bored. 
Each  board  has  its  accompaniment  of  5  or  6  pegs,  which  should  be 
about  3  inches  long,  whittled  to  fit  the  holes,  and  padded  with  cloth 
so  that  they  will  not  scratch  the  lender  gourd.  One  of  these  boards 
is  required  for  each  pipe  until  its  neck  is  set  at  the  right  curve;  then 
it  can  be  removed  and  used  for  another.  The  young  gourd  when  still 
quite  young  and  before  its  delicate  neck  has  hardened  (PI.  I,  fig.  2) 
is  laid  on  the  -board  and  gently  lent  in  the  desired  direction  and 
pegged  in  place.  By  the  following  day  the  tension  will  be  relaxed 
and  the  fruit  can  be  still  further  forced  into  shape.  Three  or  four 
resettings  of  the  pegs  arc  usually  enough  to  carry  the  gourd  to  the 
point  where  the  neck  is  fixed  in  form. 

Pipes  formed  in  this  manner  become  invested  with  still  greater 
individuality.  Unlimited  opportunity  is  afforded  for  the  exercise  of 
ingenuity  in  the  making  of  new  forms,  and  individual  tastes  regarding 
the  shape  of  a  pipe  can  be  fully  gratified.     (See  PI.  II,  fig.  2.)    By  this 

[Cir.  ii  J 


Cir    41,   Bureau  of  Plant  Ir.dustey,  U.  S    I 


Plate  II. 


Fig.  1. -Materials  for  Making  a  Calabash  Pipe:  Gourd  Ready  for  the  Fitting 
of  the  Bowl,  Box  of  Plaster  of  Paris,  Meerschaum  Bowl,  Machinist's  Die, 
Curved  Rubber  Stem,  and  Nipple. 

An  additional  nipple  is  shown  with  the  stem. 


Fig    2.— Various  Forms  of  Calabash  Pipes. 
111,.  upper  and  lower  pipes  on  the  righl  hand  side  have  I  htm  arlilicin 


Til  I     SOUTH     \i  RIl    w    PIPE    CA1   \i:\si(.  7 

method  gourds  were  formed  with  a  double  curve  m  the  neck,  making 
unnecessary  a  curvet  I  mouthpiece  II  the  v  ines  run  over  the  ground, 
the  boards  used  serve  the  additional  purpose  of  keeping  the  gourds  off 

i  In'  soil. 

METHODS  OF  MAKING  THE  PIPES. 

To  make  a  pipe  the  neck  end  of  the  gourd  should  be  cut  off  and  all 
pith  carefully  removed  from  the  inside.  The  thin  outside  cuticle 
should  be  scraped  off  with  a  sharp  knife  before  it  dries;  at  least  it 
comes  off  easier  then  and  if  left  on  will  form  food  for  molds.  Whiting 
or  pumice  may  be  used  for  polishing  the  hard  surface,  if  not  smooth 
enough  alter  thoroughly  scraping.  Sandpaper  will  scratch  it  and 
should  not  he  used. 

The  drying  of  the  gourds  seem-  a  simple  thing,  hut  it  is  in  reality 
so  difficult  thai  it  should  he  specially  explained.  After  the  pipe 
gourds  are  harvested,  the  necks,  particularly  if  not  properhj  cleaned 
and  scraped,  are  in  great  danger  from  molds.  If  stored  in  a  warm, 
close  room  lor  only  a  few  days  the  cuticle  will  In'  covered  with  un- 
sightly spots,  which  ruin  the  hard  layer  beneath  by  discoloring  it. 
The  necks,  after  being  cleaned  and  scraped,  will  cure  best  if  hung  up 
in  a  cool,  dry  room  where  plenty  of  air  is  circulating  and  where  they 
will  nol  freeze,  [f  a  place  where  the  sun  can  strike  them  can  he 
found,  so  much  t  he  better. 

The  making  of  the  pipe  should  he  postponed  until  the  gourds  have 
become  w  ell  seasoned.  The  necessary  accessories  are  a  rubber  mouth- 
piece, a  how  I.  and  some  thin  cork  >t  rips,  the  co>|  of  which  should  nol 
exceed  .">()  cent-.  (PI.  11.  fig.  I.)  In  addition  to  these  a  feu  cents' 
worth  of  plaster  of  Paris  will  be  needed.  Cut  oil'  smoothly  the  t ip  of 
the  small  end  and  bore  through  it  with  a  knife  blade  into  the  narrow 
cavitj  of  the  neck.  Into  this  screw  firmly  a  crooked  rubber  mouth- 
piece with  its  ivory-threaded  nipple.  If  there  i>  difficulty  in  getting 
the  ha  I'd  ivory  to  cut  n-  own  thread,  even  after  soaking  the  tip  of  the 
gourd  neck  in  hot  w  ater.  a  number  1 1  or  1  jj  machinist's  die.  according 

to  the  thread  of  the  nipple,  should  he  used  to  cut  the  thread.  The 
large  trumpetlike  end  of  the  gourd  neck  is  next  cut  with  a  line  saw  at 
the  proper  angle  and  low  enough  so  thai  a  regular  cheap  meerschaum 
how  I  w  ill  lit  into  it,  having  its  rim  Hush  with  the  outside  of  the  gourd. 
A  few  teaspoonfuls  of  plaster  of  Paris  mixed  with  water  to  form  a 
-nil'  paste  is  spread  a-  a  thick  layer  for  half  an  inch  inside  the  rim  of 
the  gourd  neck.  The  meerschaum  howl  is  first  greased  and  then 
forced  into  place  againsl  the  fresh  plaster  and  left  jusl  long  enough  to 
allow  the  plaster  to  sel  slightly,  nol  over  three  minutes  a1  most;  other- 
w  ise  it  w  ill  si  ick  fast. 

The  setting  for  the  bowl  i-  now  made,  hut  not  perfected  until  a  strip 
of  thin  cork,  such  a-  main  cigarettes  are  tipped  with,  has  been  glued 


8  THE   SOUTH   AFRICAN   PIPE   CALABASH. 

smoothly  over  the  surface  of  the  plaster.  Before  doing  this  a  little 
of  the  plaster  of  Paris  should  be  scraped  out  to  allow  for  the  thickness 
of  cork.  If  too  much  is  removed  and  the  bowl  is  loose  the  difficulty 
can  he  collected  by  cutting  down  the  edge  of  the  gourd.  This  can 
best  be  done  with  a  flat  file  or  by  holding  the  end  of  the  gourd  against 
the  side  of  a  grindstone.  When  properly  done  the  meerschaum  bowl 
fits  snugly,  but  is  easily  removed  by  a  twist  of  the  fingers  when  the 
pipe  is  to  be  cleaned. 

This  is  the  completed  pipe,  and  with  all  the  necessary  things  at 
hand  it  can  be  made  in  half  an  hour.      (PI.  II,  fig.  2.) 

Many  smokers  prefer  a  push  stem  and  the  calabash  lends  its 'If 
readily  to  this  style  of  pipe.  Recourse  must  again  be  had  to  the 
tobacconist  for  the  mouthpiece,  and  this  time  instead  of  the  bone 
nipple  a  ferrule  of  suitable  size  must  be  secured.  The  operation  is 
exactly  the  same  as  for  the  fitting  of  the  screw  stem  up  to  the  time 
that  the  hole  is  made  in  the  small  end  with  a  pocket  knife.  For  a 
push  stem  this  should  be  continued  until  the  hole  is  slightly  larger 
than  the  stem  to  be  used.  If  the  ferrule  is  of  the  proper  size  it  is 
then  only  necessary  to  force  it  into  place  over  the  end  of  the  gourd  and 
the  pipe  is  complete. 

When  a  push  stem  is  used  the  bowl  can  be  made  entirely  of  plaster 
of  Paris  and  the  cost  of  the  pipe  still  further  reduced.  A  thin  piece 
of  cardboard  with  a  central  perforation  is  fitted  into  the  gourd  just 
below  the  point  where  the  bottom  of  the  bowl  is  to  come.  A  thin 
mixture  of  plaster  of  Paris  is  then  poured  into  the  gourd  to  form  a 
layer  about  a  quarter  of  an  inch  thick  on  the  pasteboard  disk.  Any 
smooth  cylindrical  object,  such  as  a  homeopathic  vial  with  a  diameter 
suitable  for  the  inside  of  a  bowl,  is  well  greased  and  placed  upright 
in  the  end  of  the  gourd  to  form  a  core.  The  space  around  the  core  is 
then  filled  with  plaster  of  Paris,  and  as  soon  as  it  has  begun  to  set 
the  core  is  removed.  A  small  perforation  in  the  bottom  of  the  bowl 
about  the  size  of  a  large  knitting  needle  is  made  a--  soon  as  the  plaster 
of  Paris  has  completely  set  and  the  pipe  is  complete. 

This  style  of  bowl  is  permissible  in  a  push -stem  pipe,  since  the 
pipe  can  be  readily  cleaned  from  the  stem  vnd,  thus  obviating  the 
necessity  of  a  removable  bowl. 

A  well-made  calabash  pipe  will  appeal  to  the  discriminating  pipe 
smoker  as  possessing  the  much  valued  characteristics  of  the  long 
German  pipe  in  a  much  more  convenient  form.  The  bowl  occupies 
but  a  small  part  of  the  hollow  neck  and  the  remainder  of  the  space 
forms  a  receptacle  below  the  bowl  that  answers  the  same  purpose 
as  the  lower  bowl  of  the  German  pipe  in  keeping  juices  from  entering 
the  stein  and  allowing  the  smoke  to  cool. 
[Cir.  41J 


CHI         i     i    i    AFRICAN    PIP]     CALABASH.  lJ 

CONCLUSIONS. 

The  calabash  pipes  now  imported  in  considerable  quantities  from 
England  and  German}  arc  made  from  the  fruit  of  the  South  Airican 
pipe  gourd,  a  variety  of  Lagenaria  vulgaris.  Seeds  of  this  variety 
have  been  introduced  from  South  Airica,and  the  plant  has  been  found 
to  thrive  in  all  parts  of  the  United  States.  The  vine  grows  luxu- 
riantly and  is  of  considerable  value  as  an  ornamental. 

Light  and  attractive  pipes  can  be  made  from  the  fruits  of  this 
gourd  by  anyone  at  a  nominal  cost.  These  homemade  pipes  possess 
great  individuality  and  are  in  no  way  inferior  in  smoking  qualities  to 
the  expensive  imported  pipes  which  are  now  so  much  in  fashion. 

The  gourds  are  produced  in  greal  abundance,  but  the  [trices  paid 
for  the  necks  by  manufacturers  are  very  low  and  the  demand  is 
limited.  The  raising  of  I  he  gourds  on  a  large  scale  in  the  expectation 
of  a  commercial  demand  is,  therefore,  not  advisable. 

Approved: 

Jami  -  Wilson, 

Secretary  of  Agriculture. 

Washington,  L).  C,  September  11,  1909. 

[Clr.  41] 

O 


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